Why is it likely that your phone will not update to Android P?

The upgrades are a headache for most of the Android users, and that is that there are many factors that influence any person to receive an update after Google releases it, as will soon be the case of Android P.

And is that you may have already heard the term “fragmentation of Android”, which demonstrates the bad update policy of many manufacturers that use the Google operating system.

According to the latest data disclosed by Google, the latest version of Android known as Oreo is only installed on 1.1% of all devices on the market, while Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the most used so far with 28.1% market share.

So, we’re talking about a version that was submitted in 2015, is the most widely used of Android, a number that will not have pleased many users and fans of this operating system.

But why is it so? Why are the updates take a long time to get to the devices? Well, let’s look at the points one-by-one.

Manufacturers and their layers of customization

The layers of customization are one of the additions of each manufacturer with which you seek to differentiate yourself from your competition, that’s why each one adds certain features, design and gestures that seek to “enrich” the user experience. The problem is that each new version of Android, these manufacturers have to adapt their layers of customization with the new enhancements and features, as well as to implement its new developments and features that make it “unique” in their experience of use.

This is one of the reasons why every manufacturer takes several months to launch the new version of Android, however, when we finally have the list update it is common that Google has already released a version even more recent.

For example, when some manufacturers such as Huawei or Samsung since they list the update of Android Flash 8.0, Google had already released Android Oreo 8.1 for the Nexus and Pixel.

The operators and their network tests

Something very important you should know is that the phones you purchase directly with an operator should be updated by the operator and not by the brand to which it belongs, for example, when Samsung launched the Android update Flash 8.0 for Galaxy S8, will only come to the smartphones that were purchased directly in a Samsung Store, physical or digital, on the other hand, the same update is given to the operator with which the brand has an agreement to try out the new features of this version of operating system do not negatively affect the network.

This means that you depend on your mobile operator to receive this update, and in the event that the telephone company detects any fault, Samsung or the brand in question will have to correct it and then re-deliver it to the operator for testing.

In the best of cases, you’ll have to wait several weeks to receive the update, but you can even be deferred longer than it should and take several months.

Google does not exert pressure on the manufacturers

There isn’t really a policy of Google and the manufacturers that force them to update their phones to the latest version of Android, a situation that certainly hurts many users.

However, this has been one of the reasons why now Google has wanted to give a strong impulse to Android One, and in some years it could be this program which will significantly reduce the fragmentation in Android.

Dozens of models of all ranges

If you release an update to a couple of models requires an investment on the part of companies, now let’s think about what is needed for the tens of models that are on the market, which are equipped with processors from different companies, and that certainly hinders the latest version of Android to reach all the available models, especially the mid range and low end.

And is that unlike Apple, where the company has total control over the important components of hardware such as the processor, which is owner of your software and especially have a more limited number of models available in the market, as it is much more easy to update all your devices more quickly.

These are some of the reasons why it is likely that many users will be left without Android P on your devices, unless you have a Pixel, or any Android One, because the other will have to wait a few weeks if you buy the latest models of Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and will have to wait even more if you compare it with any operator or have a model of 2017.